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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. prune — to trim
  5. snap — to click
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. court — of law
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. court — of a king
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. court — for sport
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bear — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fall — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com